Restaurant Guide 2001-- Welcome

It's true--I have a great job. And one of the more rewarding aspects is heading up the publication of

's annual restaurant guide. Producing this authoritative reference to the best in Portland dining has obvious benefits: chowing down at fine restaurants, staying on top of trends in cuisine and meeting all the fascinating people who are obsessed with taking the culinary arts to its highest creative level. But the best part, by far, is feeling like I'm a part of something much bigger than I am. Cities are often defined by the quality of their gastronomy, and Portland's increasing commitment to fresh and local food, polite but not cloying service and inventive atmospheres is a constant reminder that the scene here is still growing. I hear tale after tale about restaurateurs in other cities flinging bread knives into competitors' backs; it's heartening to watch the camaraderie that exists among the chefs and owners in this town.

As editor of the guide for the past two editions, I've often tried to imagine the life this section has after it leaves the rack. I've envisioned it crammed into glove compartments, stuck between cookbooks, used as a replacement for coasters on coffee tables or as a great starter for sparky fires on numbingly cold days. The life this guide takes on, whether real or imagined, helps in envisioning the following year's version. When we started planning the guide so many months ago, the economy was our most pressing concern. I watched as restaurants fiddled with formats, shaved hours and shuttered doors in response to the dwindling demand.

Now, of course, the recession isn't our only problem. We're at war. What does this have to with WW's restaurant guide? Plenty. Part of this guide's tradition is to name an eatery as Restaurant of the Year. Usually this honor is given to a restaurant that blazed a trail during the previous 12 months. Until Sept. 11, we were prepared to do the same. But in the current climate, it somehow seemed less important to single out one establishment than to celebrate the virtues of culinary diversity, the value of community, the valiant quest of restaurateurs pursuing visions.

So this year's guide has become a Celebration of the Restaurant, in idea and practice. The compelling painting on the cover by Portland artist Eric Stotik says it all by capturing the timeless allure of eating in public. Intrepid reviewer Roger J. Porter offers an essay on the meaning of the public house, an overview of two new places (Mint and Bluehour) that caught our eye this year and a piece on the trend toward French cuisine in Portland. In addition, we offer an article by an ex-pat Portlander living in Seattle who's willing to unveil some "secret" places to check out up north, a rundown of pit stops in Oregon outside of Portland, and a close-up look at how some of our chefs work their magic. And, of course, a list of our favorite 100 restaurants.

Enjoy,

Caryn B. Brooks

Editor

P.S. Wondering why your favorite burger joint isn't in here? Look for our Cheap Eats guide, which emerges every March and offers the best picks for low-cost grub.

P.P.S. Don't forget: Restaurants can change their hours, addresses, cuisines and whole existences lickety-split. Call before you go.

THE RESTAURANTS
BY NEIGHBORHOOD North Portland
mint

Northeast Portland
Chameleon
Colosso
Hudson's Bar and Grill
Koji Osakaya
Lemongrass
Pambiche
paparazzi pastaficio
taqueria nueve
Winterborne

Northwest Portland
Alexis
Baobab
Basta's Trattoria
Besaw's Café
Bluehour
Cafe Azul
Cafe des Amis
Caffe Mingo
Celadon
Fratelli
Giorgio's
Holden's
Jo Bar and Rotisserie
Koji Osakaya
L'Auberge
Laslow's Northwest
laslow's northwest
Le Bouchon
Lucy's Table
Oba
Paley's Place
Papa Haydn
Paragon
piazza italia
Serratto
Swagat
Tapeo
tuscany grill
Typhoon!
Wildwood
zinc bistrot

Southeast Portland
3 Doors Down Cafe
Aalto Lounge
Assagio
Bombay Cricket Club
Bread and Ink Cafe
Caprial's Bistro
Castagna
Clay's Smokehouse Grill
Eleni's Estiatorio
Esparza's Tex-Mex Cafe
Fusion
Genoa
Gino's Restaurant and Bar
Il Piatto
Khun Pic's Bahn Thai
La Catalana
Legin
Montage
Papa Haydn
tartine
The Compass World Bistro
Wild Abandon
William's on 12th

Southwest Portland
Abou Karim
Al Amir
Berbati's
Bijou Cafe
Brasilia Restaurant and Bar
Couvron
El Gaucho
Esplanade
Fernando's Hideaway
Higgins
Jake's Famous Crawfish
Jake's Grill
Koji Osakaya
la vino cava
mallory hotel dining room
Morton's of Chicago
Mother's Bistro and Bar
Mugi
Murata
Oritalia
Pazzo Ristorante
Plainfield's Mayur
Portland Steak and Chophouse
Red Star Tavern and Roast House
Ruth's Chris Steak House
Saucebox
Southpark Seafood Grill & Wine Bar
Sungari
The Heathman Restaurant
Three Square Grill
Typhoon!
Veritable Quandary
XV

Suburbs
A Taste of China
Clarke's Restaurant
Hall Street Grill
Hiro Sushi
Koji Osakaya
Mugi
paparazzi pastaficio
Pavilion Trattoria
Salvador Molly's Sun Stop Cafe
Shalimar
Swagat
Syun Izakaya
BY FLAVORHOOD
African
Baobab

American
Aalto Lounge
Besaw's Café
Bijou Cafe
Hall Street Grill
Jake's Grill
Mother's Bistro and Bar
Red Star Tavern and Roast House
Three Square Grill

Indian
Bombay Cricket Club
Celadon
Hiro Sushi
Khun Pic's Bahn Thai
Koji Osakaya
Legin
Lemongrass
Murata
Plainfield's Mayur
Saucebox
Shalimar
Sungari
Swagat
Syun Izakaya
Typhoon!

Caribbean
Salvador Molly's Sun Stop Cafe
XV

Chinese
A Taste of China
Legin
Sungari

Continental/French
Couvron
Esplanade
L'Auberge
Le Bouchon
tartine
William's on 12th
Winterborne
zinc bistrot

Fusion
Caprial's Bistro
Chameleon
Fusion
la vino cava
Oritalia

Greek
Alexis
Berbati's
Eleni's Estiatorio

Hodgepodge
Giorgio's
The Compass World Bistro

Indian
Bombay Cricket Club
Plainfield's Mayur
Shalimar
Swagat

Italian
3 Doors Down Cafe
Assagio
Basta's Trattoria
Bluehour
Caffe Mingo
Castagna
Fratelli
Genoa
Gino's Restaurant and Bar
Il Piatto
paparazzi pastaficio
Pazzo Ristorante
piazza italia
Serratto
tuscany grill
Veritable Quandary

Japanese
Celadon
Hiro Sushi
Koji Osakaya
Mugi
Murata
Syun Izakaya

Korean
Celadon

Latin American
Brasilia Restaurant and Bar
Esparza's Tex-Mex Cafe
mint
Oba
Pambiche
taqueria nueve

Mediterranean
Lucy's Table
Southpark Seafood Grill & Wine Bar

Middle-Eastern
Abou Karim
Al Amir

Northwestern
Bread and Ink Cafe
Cafe des Amis
Clarke's Restaurant
Clay's Smokehouse Grill
Higgins
Holden's
Hudson's Bar and Grill
Jake's Famous Crawfish
Jo Bar and Rotisserie
Laslow's Northwest
laslow's northwest
mallory hotel dining room
Paley's Place
Papa Haydn
Paragon
Pavilion Trattoria
The Heathman Restaurant
Wild Abandon
Wildwood

Pan-asian
Saucebox

South of the Border
Cafe Azul

Southern
Montage

Spanish
Colosso
Fernando's Hideaway
La Catalana
Tapeo

Steak House
El Gaucho
Morton's of Chicago
Portland Steak and Chophouse
Ruth's Chris Steak House

Thai
Khun Pic's Bahn Thai
Lemongrass
Typhoon!

WWeek 2015